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21 Free Educational Apps for Kids

by: Colleen Hughes

Educational apps are a great and fun way to keep your kids learning outside of the classroom, but the cost of all those apps can add up fast. Luckily, there are plenty of free apps for kids that are both educational and fun but won't break the bank.

Poptropica

This free story-based game allows kids to customize their own characters, complete quests and play with friends in a safe environment. Kids love creating their avatars and finishing quests for prizes.

Ages 6 to 12
For Android and iOS

Fish School

Fish School exposes your preschooler to important concepts like letters, numbers, shapes, colors, matching, and more. Brightly colored schools of fish form letters, shapes, and the numbers 1–20, and your child can make the fish swim and do funny things with a simple touch and drag. Fish School is the winner of a Parents' Choice Gold Award and a Children's Technology Review Editor's Choice Award.

Ages 2 and up For Android and iOS

PBS Kids Games

PBS has created hundreds of games based on their popular children's shows. The games for each show fit in with their learning theme. Learn math with Peg + Cat. Explore creature powers with the Kratt Brothers. Or go on a space adventure with the kids from Ready, Jet Go! If you're child loves PBS shows, they're going to love learning with their favorite characters.

Phonics Ninja

Your preschooler can slash her way through letter sounds, blends, and diagraphs with this cute ninja. The game uses sight, sound, and touch to help your child learn important phonics skills, and with three difficulty settings, the game advances as she does. You can even record your own audio clues, so your child can hear your voice — or even her own — in the game.

Ages 4 and up For iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

Pizza Fractions 1

Does your elementary-aged kid need some extra help with fractions? What more delicious way to illustrate the concept than with pizza? Pizza Fractions 1 gives your child a visual approach to fractions with denominators 1–12 (excluding sevenths and elevenths), and adjustable difficulty levels let beginners start with the basics and progress as they learn. Math has never been so tasty!

Ages 6 and up For iOS

Science360

The National Science Foundation's Science360 app (for tablets only) brings cutting-edge science and engineering news, images, and video right to your child's fingertips. All content is either produced by the NSF or gathered from scientists and universities around the world, so you can be assured that your child is receiving the best quality information out there, and new content is added every week. Your kid will love the cool 360-degree view that lets him explore images from every angle.

Ages 12 and up For Android and iOS

NASA Visualization Explorer

NASA Visualization Explorer, or NASA Viz, is the coolest way to explore the latest news and stories about the Earth, the sun, and the universe. The app features stunning images and video from space and animations that can make challenging concepts easier to understand. Older kids will love diving into everything this app has to offer on their own, and your younger ones can begin learning about the planets and stars with your help.

Ages 7 and up
For iOS

Toca Kitchen Monsters

Toca Kitchen Monsters is the free version of the popular Toca Kitchen app. Cook up food for two hungry monsters using eight different ingredients combined in various ways. But be careful not to season the food too much, or the monsters just might spit it back at you! Like other Toca Boca games, the emphasis is on free, open play, where your child's imagination can run wild. Note that while Toca Kitchen Monsters is available on iOS only, Toca Kitchen 1 and 2 are available for free on Android devices.

Ages 3and up
For iOS

Middle School Math Planet

Does your middle schooler need to brush up on important math concepts like geometry, fractions, and mixed numbers? Middle School Math Planet teaches these and other math skills through over 30 games that support Common Core State Standards. Fly spaceships and help aliens complete tasks in these out-of-this-world games designed by learning scientists at Carnegie Mellon University.

Ages 10 and up
For iOS

ColorBand

ColorBand lets your toddler or preschooler explore art and music as she paints a picture with sound. Over 80 colors each have their own unique corresponding sound, and when your child is done painting, she can hear the music her artwork has created. Sounds can be played in mid-air via the iPad's built-in camera or by simple touch, and the cute little bunny mascot Lalabee dances to the music. A set of colors are available for free, and additional color packs can be purchased within the app.

Ages 3 ad up
For iOS

Vocabulary Spelling City

Spelling tests can be stressful at any grade level, but Vocabulary Spelling City makes learning vocabulary and spelling fun with games like Word Unscramble and HangMouse. Students of all ages can use the free app to play nine games with 10 of the app's most popular word lists. You can even upload a customized word list to Vocabulary Spelling City's website for your child to use in the app. For families who want a more expansive experience, a premium version of the app with five student accounts is available for a yearly subscription.

Ages 6 and up
For Android and iOS

Todo Math

Designed for kids in pre-K through second grade, Todo Math takes your child on a daily math adventure. There is a 10–15 minute practice drill available each day, a Mission Mode for tackling early word problems, and a Free Play mode. The app has won multiple awards, including a Parents' Choice Gold Award and a five-star rating on Common Sense Media. The free app contains a basic version of every game, and the full version is available on a subscription basis.

Scratch Jr.

Scratch Jr. teaches children as young as five the basics of coding. Designed by researchers at Tufts University and MIT, the app was inspired by the Scratch programming language, redesigned for a younger audience. Your child can make the app's adorable characters move, jump, and even dance and sing by snapping together different programming blocks. In addition to learning how to code, he'll also be learning problem solving, design, and how to create his own story.

Ages 5 and up
For Android and iOS

Thinking Blocks Multiplication

If you have an elementary schooler who's a visual learner, this app shows her how to visualize multiplication word problems in a step-by-step process to arrive at the correct answer. While so much of multiplication involves rote memorization, this app actually helps students understand the process of multiplication and when to use it.

Ages 7 and up
For iOS

Awesome Eats by the Whole Foods Foundation

Awesome Eats is a fun, simple app that teaches kids healthy eating, pattern recognition and sorting. Players have to sort fruits and vegetables into baskets before they reach the end of the conveyor belt and hit the floor. Between levels, the app displays fun facts about eating right.

Endless Numbers

A follow-up to the popular Endless Alphabet, Endless Numbers helps preschoolers learn number recognition, patterns, sequences, and more with the help of adorable monsters. Five numbers are included in the free app, and you can purchase additional number packs for numbers up to 100 ($6.99 for numbers 1–25 and $11.99 for 26–100, or $14.99 for all numbers 1–100).

Ages 3 and up
For Android and iOS

Pet Bingo by Duck Duck Moose

Pet Bingo is a fun and cute way for your kids to develop math skills through play. TThe problems slant toward an older audience, with bingo games designed to test math skills through primary school (e.g. 4-digit addition and subtraction). There is a free and premium version for this app.

Endless Reader

Endless Reader, by the makers of Endless Numbers, uses nifty graphics and fun word puzzles to bring sight words and short sentences to life for early readers. The app offers a pack of six words for kids to learn, with additional "Reader Packs" available to buy within the app ($4.99 per pack; $11.99 for a bundle of packs).

Ages 4 and up For iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

Duolingo

Your youngster will be speaking Spanish (or French, German, Portuguese, or Italian) in no time! PC Magazine awarded this app the Editors' Choice for Language Learning. It's full of bite-sized lessons geared toward visual learners. Kids (and adults) win badges for words learned and other achievements. Some languages even include conversation exercises with Duolingo's bots to help learn speaking.

Ages 6 and up For Android and iOS

SAT Word Slam Free

Gearing up for the SATs can be tricky! Help build her SAT vocabulary with this interactive app based on the popular book The SAT Word Slam. It provides helpful pneumonic hints in the form of rhymes, audio, and signature "Remember This" clues that help users recall word meanings for years to come.